a lipsmacking journey through life. Food, travel and lifestyle stories.

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Ibis styles Goa , for a kid friendly staycation

“We write to taste life twice, in the moment, and in
retrospect.” –Anais Nin

I began blogging with the aim of chronicling my food and
travel adventures and to come back to them as often as I wish, and in that to
be able to take my readers along with me on our journeys.

This time we were invited to the Ibis Styles hotel in
Calangute, Goa. What excited me about the Ibis styles , was the fact that it is
the first and only Ibis styles hotel in India. And also the fact that it is a
mid-range hotel property situated in the heart of the touristy belt of
Calangute and Candolim.

The sheer number of children at the property was enough to
let one know that it is immensely popular with families. From kids enjoying the
kids play area, to swimming, and even a four generation cricket match being
played by dadis and chachis, the place is like a very large picnic spot for
families.

Arrival: I was disappointed to see that it is not a beach
side, or even a ‘walk to beach’ property, also it is in a culdesac and has a
less than welcoming alleyway. But, this alley is where most of the taxis, and
bikes for rent are parked; they may not make a scenic entrance, but it is very
convenient to hire a vehicle here.

Foyer: Colourful and filled with Goan inspiration in the
form of canoes, a faux shell chandelier in the form of a wave, and a brightly
painted front desk. They have lovely bright sofas, and even a foot massage
corner, while you wait for the formalities. The Ibis Styles, is based on
stylish and stylised interiors, with “ Pop, Pep and perky personality “ and the
foyer sure has all of those.

Rooms: A bit small but comfortable queen size bed for two,
and they have a choice of twin sharing of you are travelling with a colleague.
They also have rooms adjoining for say families, of four, where the connecting
door, opens up to the adjacent room. Since we have a toddler, a single queen
bed is fine, but an older child or three travellers, would need an extra bed.
There are two wings, and I would highly recommend the stay in Saal wing if you
are travelling with kids, since that is where the play area is and also the
kids pool. The other wing is kind of more for business meets and more clinical,
I thought. All rooms face a pool.

Kid friendly options: First off, very safe room, all
switches with safety caps, and even though each balcony has a central opening,
our kid couldn’t slip through ( he tried) but it was nice for him to just sit
there and see the world go by. One of the few hotels which have an open play
area , and not in a room; that means that rains might be a problem, and the
other that you cannot leave your kid unattended, lest they walk off. but
otherwise we loved the open concept, the faux grass made it feel like a park,
with swings and slides. We even saw entire families sitting on the grass
playing antakshari, while the kids played on the swings. And table tennis. But,
here is what really makes it a deal sealer, they have over ten toy cars to
ride. For my son it was as if he had entered the place of his dreams. Even his
school has just two cars, and the children have to share, but here, there were
so many cars, that no child ever needs to share ! We spent every waking moment
in the car park, and I think he saw it in his dreams that night too.

The swimming pool is small, and at 2.2 feet, it was deeper
than the other kids pools that we have been to. Since it is in a shaded area,
the water is colder than the water in the adult pool, and even the large pool
in the other section is nice and warm. Yes, they have three pools, including
the kids pool.

They have yet another , play gym park, near the kids pool,
and that’s every bit as much fun, and thoughtfully designed as would be
expected of a kids play gym. Yes, we woke up very early the next morning, and
he couldn’t get enough of it. Sonce it was before my morning coffee, you see me
wearing sunglasses, and wishing I could have slept longer on a Sunday. But for
kids, Sunday’s are fun-days.

Food: One restaurant, the spice it, it serves buffet
breakfast , lunch and dinner, as well as alacarte for lunch and dinner. Chef
Rahul and chef Mayank, really try and innovate and create interesting meal
pairings . the chicken lababdar, and the lachcha paratha along with the chicken
Cafreal kebabs cooked in a tandoor are worth trying. Chef Mayank especially
made kid friendly king fish and it had the lightest brushing of mustard paste,
and while I thought my son wouldn’t have it , he loved it. The potato wedges,
were superbly well made, but he refused them. Kids ! If you are feeling
adventurous , I would highly recommend the spinach lasagne, with two types of
cheese sauce, and arugula and parmegiano, that chef Mayank makes. It is one of
the cheesiest , most indulgent things, Ihave had in recent times, and a non
tomato based lasagne with peppery rocket leaves and sharp parmesan cheese, is a
flavour combination not many chefs dare to experiment with.

Activities: cycling, a jeep ride to the beach, a short walk
to candolim junction, and loads of shopping options. I would suggest shopping
at the really small shop right outside the hotel, since the hotel is in a
culdesac, her rates are not as high as the others, and I got the most stylish
tshirts for Rs 200. See my Instagram @thefoodietrails for pictures of the three
outfits I bought at her store. Resort wear sorted, right there!

The artwork at the hotel is what sets it apart from the
others. A Ms Venu Juneja is credited to the art consultant, and honestly I
would have her consult on my own home , I was that impressed by her Goan Kitschy
style and Mario Miranda inspired works of art.

On our recent visit , we found everyone very helpful ,
especially the servers at our table 32. And also budhhadeb the purser who
escorted us at the foyer. A place is it’s people, and I think all the other
happy guests really added to the holiday atmosphere. Go in groups, or as a
family, and make some fun memories.

About Me

There was a time when I was finicky about food, now I am fanatic about it! There isn't anthing I wouldn't try atleast once. Life is to be lived one glorious adventure at a time. I wear many hats. The compassionate doctor, the marathon movie watcher, , the moody philosopher and the adventurour foodie and wanderlust traveller.doctor by profession, a foodie by passion and a writer at heart.